We were prepared
by T.E.D.S
Summary: Sequel to "Healer". Because They all knew what to expect. JakexNeytiri, Tsu'teyxOC, slight OCxOC.
1. Introduction: Tsku'pey

_The story is set about __thirteen years after the end of "Healer". If you didn't read it, do it now, as there are many references to it._

_This is meant to be less romantic and funnier than Healer. If it's not, I'm sorry._

_And now, T.E.D.S. and her cat gladly present_

**WE WERE PREPARED**

_An Avatar story. Avatar belongs to James Cameron, and thanks God because I would spoil it._

'Faster, Kelu!' I laughed and patted my ikran's back. Kelu was the fastest, the strongest and the most agile ikran I knew. Ha! And he was MY ikran!

We were escaping a buzz of hellfire wasps. I know it was a foolish idea to fly near their nest, but hey, I was having some fun. And I was sure Kelu could make it.

'Yeah, that's it! That's it!' I screamed, when the wasps couldn't be heard. Kelu warned me and did a few acrobatics. We both gave a shriek of joy in the same while. Then I spotted sanu gathering fruit.

'Land, Kelu. You'll get your kxener!' I promised and Kelu needed nothing more to land. I jumped down.

'Sanu!' I said loudly so that she turned away from her work. She smiled and hugged me as she saw me.

'Tsku'pey! And Kelu! Were you two hunting?' she asked.

'Yup! Two yerik!' I said with pride. Young as I was, I was a good hunter. And a good warrior when need.

'Great. I have some kxener fruit here… one for you, Tsku'pey' sanu said as she handed me the fruit, 'and one for you, Kelu' she tossed the fruit in the air. Kelu caught it and swallowed immediately. I bit into my kxener.

'Sanu, we didn't spot anything dangerous' I said and Kelu hissed. 'Oh yeah, apart of a buzz of hellfire wasps. And a hunting Palulukan. And a few packs of Nantang. And one Toruk… not a single Tawtute…' I realized I was wrong and corrected myself, 'only this Norm. everything in order. Sanu, I think you're panicking…'

'Tawtute are stubborn and greedy' sanu said. 'They will surely come back, it's only matter of time. I'm not the only one worried, you know…'

'Yes, sanu, I know' I nodded. 'Then why am I the only one who patrols this place?'

'Toruk Macto trusts his Tawtute friends too much. And don't you think these hunting grounds are great?'

'They surely are. I'm taking the prey to the fireplace, see you at meal' I said and climbed back on Kelu. Just a few more acrobatics and we were at the Hometree.

_Please leave a review! I'm not writing so much b/c I picked a new hobby – cross-stitch, but if you review, I will definitely write next chapter soon!_


	2. Introduction: Faltiri

_Next chapter, next narrator. Like in „Healer"._

'Be careful, Faltiri, this was a dangerous mistake' sempu said. I nodded and raised my bow again. And lowered it just a while later.

'What happened?' sempu asked. I was used to his poorer senses, so I didn't call him skxawng like sanu does.

'Tsku'pey is coming back and he has prey' I explained. That was all I could deduce from his faraway, joyous whoop.

'Great, fresh yerik' sempu said. 'But I can't wait till you bring us one, 'ite.'

'I can't hunt' I said. 'These are only handicap' I pointed at my tiny so-called "pinkies", which were about half as long as sempu's and completely useless. Before sempu answered, Tsku'pey landed. He had two big yerik.

'Oel ngati kameie, Jakesully. Oel ngati kameie, Faltiri' he greeted us. 'Some bow practice?'

'Yes but I can't even aim properly!' I screamed. Tsku'pey was good at almost everything and it was annoying.

'Look at me' he said and took a bow. He held the chord in two fingers only and he had an aim needle in strap wrapped around his second hand middle finger.

'You must see the target through the needle eye' he explained. 'I wish I had pinkies, they must be great for a needle…'

'I don't teach her to use a needle until she can use a simple bow' sempu said, but Tsku'pey didn't seem to listen to him. He used a strap to get another needle on my pinky and gave me the bow.

'Try' he said. I pulled the chord. It wasn't very hard to do. Then I aimed.

'Keep your pinky straight' Tsku'pey said, 'and your back too'

I did as he told me, and let the chord lose. The arrow hit the target.

'Wow!' Jakesully said. 'You must teach me to use the needle!' he told Tsku'pey.

'I will, Toruk Macto' he said and bowed, 'But now I must take those yerik to fireplace until they go smelly.'

We all laughed and as Tsku'pey left, I tried once again the needle aim. It was much easier with it. And my pinkies, they turned up so useful!

'Sempu, I'm going to see auntie Grace, uncle Unoray and little Tiyan!' I claimed. After all, it was auntie Grace's idea to use aiming needles. Sempu just nodded. I rushed to the place they liked most: a natural shelter made by leaves. Just as I thought, they were there.

'Oel ngati kameie' I greeted them. Then I turned to auntie Grace. 'Good after-moan' I tried to greet her in inglisi. She giggled.

'Good afternoon, Faltiri. And oel ngati kameie. You want just to talk or maybe you have any interest?'

'I wanted to say irayo for aiming needles. Tsku'pey taught me to use this' I wagged my pinky with needle still attached to it. I removed it before I hugged little Tiyan. I thought that he also would have his aiming needle on his pinky.

'Tsku'pey, hmmm?' auntie Grace sneered. 'You two feel something to each other?'

I sighed.

'Auntie, you KNOW we are meant to mate. And good we get on so well together. Sometimes even better than sanu and sempu…'

Auntie Grace laughed. Loudly, like only Tawtute do. Tiyan giggled in my arms. I still called him little, even though he was already eight years old. He spoke inglisi better than I did, but I didn't care so much to learn it. Just a few words to make sempu happy.

'Auntie, Tsku'pey came back from his hunt' I said to break the silence that fell after the laughter ceased.

'So, we're having nantang broth again?' Unoray asked. I shook my head, laughing. Everyone remembered the story of first night when Tsku'pey stayed at hunt. Surrounded by a pack of nantang, he shot a few of them and called Kelu, and so we had nantang broth for dinner, as Tsku'pey never leaves his prey behind. Sempu said it tasted like mixed-meat broth cooked by his sanu.

'Faltiri, will you get Norm come for common meal tonight?' auntie Grace asked. I just nodded. Uncle Norm often missed common meals, as he still loved examining the forest, and so Tsku'pey still considered him Tawtute. He was one of Omaticaya though and even Tsku'pey agreed with this; he tamed his ikran, he made his bow with wood of the Kelutrel, and he chose a woman.

'Uncle Norm!' I screamed, approaching his improvised lab. Uncle Norm came out, to me.

'Oh, hi Faltiri. What happened?' he asked, stroking my hair.

'Tsku'pey brought prey, and I should drag you for common meal. Two yerik.'

'Yum, yum' Uncle Norm smiled. 'OK, I'll grab Ninat and kids and come. See you at meal, Faltiri.'

_Okay, these two chapters were like an introduction to whole story and description of changes in and near Hometree. Next chapter will be proper action, I promise._

_Please leave a review to make me update._


	3. Hunt: Tsku'pey

Here real action starts.

Another beautiful day came. I stretched as I got out of my hammock and then I ran down to the very roots of the Hometree. I wanted to go hunting immediately, but I remembered giving all my arrows to Faltiri. I had to make myself new arrows, so I collected wood for them and I spent half of the morning preparing new arrows. Kelu came to me and tried to give me impatient signs so that I'd hurry up – but I didn't want to hurry, I like to spend a longer time making sure that every arrow is perfect. Kelu hissed at me, but what could I do? I needed arrows. Faltiri loses them every single day, I really must teach her to make them. But her Sempu, the Toruk Macto, wants to teach her himself. Ha! He can't make arrows as good as my Sanu.

When my arrows were ready, I came to Kelu. I patted him.

'Now we're going for a hunt. Couldn't wait, right?'

We flew to our usual hunting grounds. Flight alone was great for me, but Kelu wanted something more. I was delighted with wind in my hair, but when I spotted a big yerik, I took an arrow and shot. It was a quick, clean kill. The yerik didn't even shriek in pain. We landed and I checked its heartbeat to be sure it's really dead. It was.

I laughed and danced over my prey. It was biggest yerik I've ever seen! So big, so fat. Only here, near the Hell's Gate, yerik were so big. No carnivorous animal dared to come here, only Kelu and me. I patted my ikran's neck.

'Great job, Kelu. Great job! Sa'nu will surely give us some kxener again!'

I laughed as Kelu sniffed loudly, then started to gut the prey. Kelu loved the insides. Suddenly I heard something loud and unfamiliar. I looked up and saw something huge…

'Kelu!' I shrieked and mounted. 'Let's check it!'

We were high in the air when we actually saw it. It was a huge, metal machine – surely the Tawtute. We dived and grabbed the prey.

'Faster, Kelu! To the Hometree! We must tell Sempu!'

The wind caused by Tawtute coming was very strong and we just didn't make it. Kelu tried his best, but…

…all I remember was being smashed into a tree and hitting my head before I fell unconscious.

When I woke up, I was all alone, badly bruised, with my bow broken and a big bump on my head. I couldn't see Kelu. I called him, but he didn't appear, he didn't even shriek back. I tried to stand up, but my ankle hurt a lot. It was swollen and stiff. I had to get to the Hometree somehow, but it seemed so far away…


	4. Found him: Faltiri

I was still learning to shoot. Aiming needle helped a lot, but I didn't have enough strength to shoot with enough force. I shook my head. If Tsku'pey was here, he'd help me…

He was late. Suddenly I realized that something bad could have happened to him. Why wasn't he back already?

I couldn't practice anymore. I was too worried. Even if his hunt was unsuccessful, he'd already come back! I climbed the Hometree to look if he's coming with Kelu, but I couldn't see any of them. It didn't soothe me. Quite the contrary.

I went down and headed to his favorite hunting grounds. It was almost impossible that he stayed there longer, so something must have happened…

I almost ran. Even though I run most of my life, I still enjoy every minute of running. But not this time. I only paid attention not to hurt myself and run in the right direction. Suddenly I stopped.

'Tsku'pey!' I shrieked. He looked at me, half-conscious. I shook his shoulders, but he didn't react.

'Kelu…' he gasped. 'Kelu… tawtute… Kelu…'

'What happened?' I asked, still shaking him. He was injured, but what the hell he was trying to tell me?

'Come with me' I said, pulling his hand. I had to take him to Laylat…

He followed me unconsciously, still murmuring these two words: "Kelu" and "Tawtute". Before we reached the Hometree, he fainted. I could leave him and run for help or pull him all the way left. But this way I could hurt him even more, so I left him, knowing it won't be a long time.

I ran to find Laylat. She was in her usual place. I gasped and waved to her.

'What happened?' she asked.

'Tsku'pey is injured' I explained and leaded her to the place I left him.

'We must take him closer to the Hometree' Laylat decided. 'No need to help me, I'll carry him'

She took him and carried all the way in the motherly manner. Then she laid him gently on the grass beneath the tree and carefully examined his wounds. I watched as she treated them with herbs and bandaged. Then she put her hands on his temples and massaged them.

'Wake up, ma 'itan, wake up…' she said. Finally Tsku'pey opened his eyes.

'TAWTUTE!' he gasped. Laylat stroked his chest gently.

'Mawey, ma 'itan. Sìltsam. You're safe here, there are no tawtute except those you know and accept. I'm here…'

'Sa'nu' he said with a weak smile. 'Tawtute!' he repeated.

'They came back?' Laylat asked, pretending to me calm. Tsku'pey nodded.

'They killed Kelu' he said. A dead silence fell.

'Faltiri' Laylat looked at me. 'Go and tell your sempu what happened. He knows more about tawtute and can communicate with them better than Tsu'tey.'

I nodded and ran to sempu. I found him near the former lab, which, as auntie Grace claimed, could still work, but wasn't needed for now.

'Sempu! The tawtute came back!' I shrieked. He looked shocked.

'I m-must speak to Max' he said and ran to the lab.

_Leave a review or some characters may get REALLY hurt._


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